A Father’s Love

The rain was falling when the garage door opened. My son-in-law came out and began loading his truck. He made several trips back and forth through the rain, carrying hunting clothes, boots, and supplies. He loaded his own things and everything his six-year-old daughter would need too, even her fishing pole and hunting gear. The whole time he was making those trips, he walked in the rain without an umbrella.

 

When everything was finally loaded, he went back inside. A few moments later, they came out of the garage together. His little girl Avery walking beside him while he held a large black umbrella over both of them. He took her hand and walked her to the truck. Then he helped her climb into the backseat, making sure she stayed dry the whole time.

 

As I watched them drive away, I could not stop thinking about how she trusted him and how amazing  a father’s love can be.

 

She did not have to worry about the rain. She did not have to wonder if everything had been packed or if they had forgotten something. She did not have to carry what was too heavy for her. Her daddy had already gone ahead of her. He had carried what she could not carry. He had prepared what she would need. And when it was time to walk through the rain, she simply walked beside him, holding his hand.

 

That is what a loving father does. He notices what his child needs before she even thinks to ask. He carries what is too heavy. He protects what is precious to him. He stands in the rain so she can stay dry.

 

Isn’t that so often what God does for us? So many times we spend our lives carrying things we were never meant to carry. We try to prepare for every possibility, protect ourselves from every storm, and figure out every detail before we take another step. We worry and we try to do it all ourselves.

 

But our amazing God never asked us to carry what only He can carry. He goes before us. He prepares what we need. He carries the weight we were never meant to hold. And when we walk through difficult seasons, He does not send us out alone. He walks beside us and gently reminds us to take His hand.

 

Isaiah 46:4 says, “I have made you, and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.” The rain still comes. There are still storms, worries, and things we do not understand. But we do not have to walk through them alone.

 

Just like my little granddaughter walking beside her daddy, we can trust the One who has already gone before us, who loves us more than we can imagine, who is carrying what we cannot, and who is holding us every step of the way.